Rotary engine.



No. 755,161.Y

f IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/l Q H.' NI'BLSEN. ROTARY vENGINE. APPLICATION; NI'LED D1w ,12..19o3.

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IIIIIIIIIIII WITNESSES ATTORN EY nu: mams firms oo. Warnung.. wmncncu. n. c.

, cylinders 6 is about the longitudinal axis of UNITED STATES Patented March 2:4,

-PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN NIELSEN, NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR .TO THE REOIPRO- (EATING ROTARY ENGINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. AY.

ROTARY ENGVINE'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patentlo. 755,161, dated March 22, 1.904. Application led December 12, .1903. SerialNor184,904 (No model.)

compact and durable structure and to simplify the construction and increase the efficiencyof rotary engines.

With these ends in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts,which will be fully described hereinafter and specified in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a..

construction by which the invention may be carried out, in 'which.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a transverse section.

Similar reference-numerals indicate similar parts in both views.

Referring tothe drawings, the numeral 1 designates a stationary cylindrical frame or casing mounted upon a suitable support 2. Journaled on ballbearings 3, carried by the framel, is a hollow shaft 4, set eccentrical'ly to the axis of said frame and having an annular bearing 5, on which is mounted and secured by any suitable means the hub 6 of a wheel, having four similar sections v6, constituting four radially disposed cylinders. In each cylinder is mounted to reciprocate a piston 7, said piston being suspended from ashort shaft 8, supported in -the cross head 9 of a yoke 10, the depending sides of which are movably or slidably stepped into collars 11, carried on ball-bearings 12, said bearings being supported in a suitable raceway upon the frame 1 and set concentric with said frame. It will thus be seen that the center of rotation of the the shaft .4, eccentric to the `axis of the frame 1,r while the center of rotation of the pistons 7 is concentric with the axisof saidframe or eccentric to the axis ofsaid shaft.

` One end of the shaft 4 fits into a head 13, connected by a pipe 14 with a steam-boiler or other source of motive-agent supply, and the otherV end of' said shaft connects with a head 15, having an exhaust-pipe 16.

Within the hollow shaft 4 is arranged a valve 17, formed with a transverse partition 18, dividing the interior of the valve into inlet and outletcompartments 19 and 20, respectively, the inlet compartment being in communication w-ithV the inlet end ofI shaft 4 and the outlet compartment being in communication with the exhaust end of said shaft. rlhe inlet compartment is provided with Ya port 21, adapted toregister with a port 22, formed inthe shaft 4 and the hub 6 and leading -into the cylinders 6, the said ports 22 being also adapted to register with an exhaust port 23, likewise formed in the valve 17, but leading into the outlet compartment 20. The valve stem 24 extends through a suitable stuffing-box in the head 13 and has secured to it a lever 25, having-a horizontal extension 26V reaching under said head. The said extension is provided with stop-collars 27 and 28 to limit the longitudinal sliding movement of the extension 26 necessary to bring the Vvalve 17 in the desired cut-off position.

The admission-port 21 in the valve 17 i preferably made triangular in shape, so that when the lever 25 is in an innermost position and the collar 27 abuts on the flange 29 on the head 13 then the base end of said admissionport is in register with the'ports 22, and consequently a large amount of steam can pass at a given time into the corresponding cylinder. By moving the lever 25 outwardly the Valve 17 is moved in a like direction, and the base end of the admission-port moves out of register'with a port 22 to cut 0E the steam from the corresponding cylinder. The exhaustport 23 in the valve 17 is rectangular, so that a full exhaust is had at all times from the cylinders at the time they move into an upper-v most position and the ports 22 register with the port 23, allas described in my said patent.

Then the several parts are in the position illustrated in the drawings, the steam passes into the compartment 19 and from the latter through the port 21 into the port 22 of the cylinder 6, then in a lowermost position, acting against the under side of the piston, causing the latter to exert a pressure upon the cross-head 9 of" the yoke. As the cylinders and pistons are mounted eccentrically one to the other it is evident that the pressure of the piston against the cross-head will cause the wheel and shaft to rotate together, thereby imparting motion to a gear, driving-pulley, or other device on said shaft. As the wheel rotates the port 22 of the cylinder above referred to moves out of register with the port 21, so that the steam is cut off from that cylinder and the steam contained therein acts expansively to continue the rotary motion of the wheel. At about the time the port 22 of one cylinder is cut off from the port 21 the port 22 of the next following cylinder moves in register with the port 21, and so on. The rotary motion of the wheel finally brings the port 22 of the first cylinder in register with the port 23, so that the steam can pass to the exhaust-pipe 16. This takes place at the time the piston moves into an uppermost position.

The yokes 10 are pivotally hung on the shafts 8, so as to have a slight swinging or pendulum-like motion as the cylinders are r0- tated from one position to another. To allow of this movement, the lower ends of the yokes are slidably mounted in their bearings in the collars 11. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the yokes 10 on the upper and lower pistons when in the extreme inner and outer positions have their vertical axes coincident with the axes of the respective pistons and cylinders; but when the pistons and cylinders are in their intermediate horizontal positions the axes of the yokes are at an angle to the axes of their respective pistons and cylinders, the two angular positions being at their maximum when the parts are in the positions shown. The curved lower ends of the yokes are of such length as to allow for this slight backward and forward movement of the yokes in the collars 11 or their sliding movement toward and from each other without interference between contiguous yokes.

The valve 17 can be turned to bring the port 21 to one or the other side of the vertical plane extending through the axis of the shaft, so that rotation of the wheel maybe effected in either direction. Similarly, in other respects the purpose and function of the lever 25 and stops 27 and 28 are the same, as fully set forth in my Patent No. 720,952.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rotary engine comprising a stationary frame, a shaft set eccentric to the axis of said frame, radially-disposed cylinders mounted on and secured to said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, said pistons being suspended in their respective cylinders from yokes sct concentric with ther axis of said frame.

2. A rotary engine comprisingashaft, aplurality of radially-disposed cylinders mounted on and secured to said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, said pistons being connected to yokes independent of each other, and bearings eccentric to the axis of said shaft and common to all the yokes.

3. In a rotary engine the combination of a hollow shaft having steam inlet and exhaust connections, avalve in said shaft, radially-disposed cylinders mounted on said shaft and having ports communicating with said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, said pistons being directly connected to yokes independent of each other, and bearings eccentric to the axis of said shaft and common to all the yokes.

4. In a rotary engine the combination of a hollow shaft mounted for rotation in suitable bearings, a plurality of radially-disposed cylinders mounted on said shaft, means to admit steam through said shaft to the cylinders and to permit the escape of exhaust-steam, pistons in said cylinders, said pistons being directly connected to yokes independent of each other, and bearings eccentric to the axis of said shaft and common to all the yoles.

5. In a rotary engine the combination of a stationary frame, a shaft supported in bearings in said frame and eccentric with the axis thereof, radially-disposed cylinders mounted on said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, yokes independent of each other from which said pistons are freely suspended, said yokes having a bearing concentric with the axis of said frame, and means to admit steam to said cylinders and to exhaust the same therefrom.

6. In a rotary engine the combination of a stationary frame, circular bearings carried by said frame and concentric with the axis thereof, a shaft mounted eccentric with the axis of said frame, radially-disposed cylinders secured to said shaft, pistons in said cylinders having their points of suspension in supports concentric with the axis of said frame and movably supported upon said circular bearings.

7. A rotary engine comprising a shaft,a plurality of radially-disposed cylinders mounted on and secured to said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, said pistons being directly connected to yokes independent of each other, bearings for said yokes eccentric with the axis of said shaft, said yokes being supported on said bearings so as to have a sliding movement toward and from each other during the rotation of the cylinders.

8. In a rotary engine the combination with a shaft, of a plurality of radially-disposed cylinders mounted on and secured to said shaft,

IOO

pistons in said Cylinders, said pistons being In testimony Whereoflhaveherenntosigned pivotally suspended on yokes independent of l my name in the presence of two subscribing each other, bearings for said yokeseecentrio Witnesses.

with the aXis of said shaft, said yokes being HERMAN NIELSEN. supported on said bearings so as to have a Witnesses:

sliding movement toward and away from each ADDISON S. PRATT,

other during the rotation of the cylinders. GEORGE BENDER, J1. 

